Mistletoe Mayhem
by LileyKigoSpashleyRizzslesLover
Summary: It's Christmas time and Angela Rizzoli has a plan, but will it do more harm than good? Jane/Maura. Twoshot.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Sorry if it's a bit too late. I wanted to do a Christmas story and post it earlier but I couldn't get inspired to write. Eventually I just read all of the wonderful reviews I received from previous stories and just started writing. Thank you all so much! I hope you enjoy this fic. Oh, yeah and I don't own R&I. Also, the cabin they are staying at is real. There's a link to some pictures of it in my profile. I referenced it a lot when writing this. I will try to get the rest of the story up by tonight but I do not know how long I am going to be away from my computer.

XXXXX

"Can't I just try, Ma?" Frankie asked Angela. They were standing in the kitchen as she put a lid on a pot.

"No, Frankie. I told you before, Maura's in love with Jane, I'm sure of it!"

"And what if she just freaks out and never talks to Jane again? Then I'll have lost my chance too!"

"You never had a chance with her. Not with the way she looks at Janie."

"I just don't think it's fair. I mean, I'm not gettin' anything outta this." Frankie complained. Sure he was happy for his sister but he was a little jealous.

"I know that, Frankie. But you have to understand that what Jane has is rare. Once you find someone like how Jane found Maura then I'm sure she'd be doing the same for you."

"Really?" Frankie asked as his mother guided him out of the room.

"Yes. Now here, put this on that doorway. That way it's not too out in the open but still possible that they'll stand under it." She handed the mistletoe to her son.

"Fine, fine." Frankie conceded. He taped the small plant to the doorway to the hallway. "What if it doesn't work?" He looked to Angela.

Angela shrugged. "I really don't think that's possible." She saw the doubtful look on his face. "You have a crush on Maura so you don't see them like I do. The lingering gazes that are cut short when the other looks their way. The way they can't seem to keep their hands off each other, I mean do you not see them whenever Maura comes over for dinner? Or how about after they finished the marathon? Or even –"

"Okay, okay, I get it." Frankie rolled his eyes.

"Good." She went back to her pot and checked its contents before replacing the lid. "Now start setting things up for tonight. This is gonna be one interesting Christmas eve."

XXXXX

A pamphlet plopped down on Jane's desk. "Eagle's nest cabins?" She looked up to see a smiling Maura.

"Merry Christmas!" She chimed.

Jane's eyebrow quirked up.

"It's my Christmas present for you and your family. You can go any time you want between now and January 23rd."

"What?" Jane leaned back in her chair to get a better look at the M.E. "We can't just – "

"It's paid in full. Non-refundable."

"Fine, fine. I'll call Ma in a minute."

"Good, so I hope you'll have fun. Make sure to call me when you get back."

"Oh no, you're coming with me." Jane said.

"What? But Jane, it specifies a four person limit."

"I don't care. I'm not spending any amount of time in a cabin with them without you."

"But how will we-"

"I'll sneak you in, I don't know. I just want to spend Christmas with you." Jane said. Her voice gave away her feelings of vulnerability from the statement.

"Oh, Jane. I'd love to be with you at Christmas too, but, as I said already, there's a four person limit at the cabin."

"Really, Maura? Have I _ever _followed the rules? "

Maura sighed. She knew there was no use in arguing with her. And, to be quite honest, she wanted more than anything to spend a few days in a cabin with the detective. She nodded, showing Jane that she would go.

Jane smiled and leapt out of her chair, immediately enveloping Maura in a hug. She wasn't expecting it and couldn't brace for the added weight that Jane would account for, thus she fell back. Jane caught her.

"You okay?" She had her arms wrapped around the M.E.'s waist to prevent the fall and brought her back up. Her arms stayed in place until Maura pushed them away and backed up.

"I'm fine. You just surprised me, that's all."

"Well, I got that part. But why is your face all red?"

Having it pointed out seemed to make it worse, Maura thought as she felt more blood rush to her face. "I… I don't… I have to go." She rushed out of the room and went straight to autopsy. She shut the blinds and sat at her desk. She groaned in frustration before putting her head in her hands.

She had an ulterior motive to the present she got for the Rizzoli's. She wanted to get Jane out of town for a while so she could have time to herself to think about this new… development. It hasn't been very long since she had realized why her heart rate picked up whenever Jane entered the room, or why she got this _intoxicating _sensation whenever they would touch. She just needed to think of a plan of action. Of what exactly to do about this without the detective around so she wouldn't be so distracted. She wasn't expecting what Jane said, however, and it complicated her plan.

"What am I going to do?" She whispered to herself. "There is no way I can last a day in someplace like that with Jane. Not without her finding out." She just hoped something would come up and she couldn't go. It was times like this she wished she wasn't such a terrible liar.

The door opened suddenly, breaking her away from her thoughts. Jane walked in.

"Hey Maura." She walked over to the M.E.'s desk cautiously. "You sure you're okay?"

"It's fine… I just needed to think about something."

"Okay, well… I called Ma and she said she'd love to go. She wants to leave today. Is that good for you?"

"Today?" That was kind of soon. She didn't have any pressing responsibilities but she really didn't think she could handle that close of a proximity to Jane with such little time to prepare herself for it. "I don't have anything else to do." Her tone was regretful.

Jane gave her a strange look. "Alright… We should probably head home now. I'll just drop Joe off with Korsak and pick you up in two hours?"

Maura nodded. "Sure."

"Great. See you then." Jane touched Maura's hand lightly as she left.

When the door closed all Maura could do was stare down at her hand in amazement. How was it that such a light touch, a gesture of friendship, had such an effect on her? She shook her head. She really had no time to think, she had to leave and pack for the trip. How long were going for? She didn't think Jane said.

As she left the room the pulled out her phone. She scrolled down to Jane's number and hesitated at the green send button. She pressed down on the up button instead.

"Hello?" The voice on the other end asked.

"Hello Mrs. Rizzoli." She spoke into her phone.

"Maura! I'm so glad it's you! I want to thank you for the gift, really. You don't know how much it means to us. We haven't had a family vacation in such a long time."

"Oh! Family? I thought…" She trailed off.

"Thought what, sweetie?"

"Jane invited me to tag along. I guess she didn't say."

"Of course she did! And we are so happy to have you along! Maura, you're like family. Wait, actually you _are _family. I swear sometimes I think you'll be a daughter-in-law someday with the way you are with Jane."

That stopped Maura in her tracks. "W-what?"

"I'm sorry… I'm babbling on again. But anyway, you can tell me… you like her don't you?"

Maura's mouth flapped open and closed a few times. "I…uh…"

"Oh, I'm sorry dear, did you call me for any specific reason?" She asked, remembering that Maura was the one who called her.

"I uh… wanted to know how long we were staying up there."

"Oh! Me an' Frank thought it'd be good to stay until after the new year. We were thinking about coming back on the third. Is that okay?"

"That's perfectly fine." Maura answered, starting to walk again. She was still in shock about the blunt question earlier.

"Okay, well I need to help Frank with his packing. He'd be useless without me, I'm telling you. I'll see you soon, honey."

"Yes. See you soon."

Maura hung up the phone just as she got to her car. She sighed. This was going to be a _long _vacation.

XXXXX

Two hours later, as promised, there was a knock on Maura's door.

"You ready?" Jane asked when Maura opened the door.

"Yep." She went back inside briefly to grab her things and joined Jane at her car. After putting things in the trunk they started out towards their first destination, Korsak's house to drop off Bass.

"Maura," Jane started when they got onto the main street, "you sure you're okay?"

Maura looked over at the woman in the driver's seat. "I uh… I just wasn't prepared for this, that's all."

"What do you mean?"

"I wasn't expecting to leave town for 10 days so suddenly."

"Yeah, me neither. But leave it to Ma to do things without thinking." Jane said with a laugh.

Maura just smiled weakly before looking out the window.

Jane decided it best to just leave her be for the time being and concentrate on the driving.

XXXXX

"It's okay, we'll just bring the mistletoe with us. Put it up when they're gone." Angela said to Frankie.

"But we had it planned out so well." He wasn't too happy with this new plan. And, while he wasn't looking forward to the ten days of lounging around in a cabin, he just wished his mother thought things out before making such a decision for all of them.

"Frankie," she put her hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eyes. "Don't worry, it'll work out. And besides, I think this may work to our advantage."

"If you say so, Ma."

"Have I ever been wrong about these kinds of things?"

"Well –" He started.

"Keep your mouth shut, smarty pants."

XXXXX

Jane opened the door to her parent's house. "Ma! We're here!" They walked through to the living room.

"Hey Jane." Frankie greeted. "Maura."

"Hello Frankie." Maura said.

"Thanks for this gift. I really mean it. It's awesome."

"You're very welcome."

"Are you three ready?" Angela asked them as she walked in the room. Frank was behind her carrying both of their luggage.

They all nodded their heads and soon they were piled into the car.

"How long's it take to get there anyway?" Frankie asked. He was seated in the back seat of the passenger side. Jane was right next to him in the middle and Maura was next to her.

"About three hours, most likely longer if we account for traffic." Maura answered.

"Three hou - ? Ma! Why are we leavin' today?"

"Excuse me if I want a nice Christmas eve with my family in a cabin. You do nothing but blame me!" She looked back at him from the passenger seat with an evil glare.

He fell back against his seat. "Fine, you're right." He figured it was best not to argue. There was nothing he could do about it anyway.

The three hour car ride was really four and a half and they didn't get there until 7. After checking in and finding out the extra person was fine, given the circumstances, they headed to their cabin.

"I call tha master!" Frankie yelled, heading for the stairs.

"Oh no you don't." Angela grabbed him by the shirt. "You let Maura have that room."

"What? No, I couldn't. You and Frank should have it." She argued.

"Well… you should at least have your own bathroom." She thought for a moment. "Frankie, you take the other upstairs room."

"Whatta 'bout Jane?" Frankie asked.

Angela looked at him like he just said the stupidest thing in the world which, in her mind, he did. "She'll sleep with Maura."

Maura's face took on a pink hue at this thought. Jane just shrugged and grabbed her bag before heading to the downstairs room she would be sharing with Maura, who soon followed.

"So, top or bottom?" Jane asked.

"What!" Maura nearly yelled.

"Do you want the top set of drawers or the bottom ones?" She pointed at the dresser in the far left corner of the room.

"Oh… Um…it doesn't matter."

Jane looked at her strangely but then just shrugged and began unpacking her things into the top drawer.

Maura watched as Jane unpacked. She thought about how impossible it seemed that she would get through these ten days without going crazy… or at least without telling Jane of her feelings. It seemed hopeless.

XXXXX

"They're not going over there." Frankie said, worriedly. He had watched them all night, as per Angela's orders, and, after a good hour of watching them be around each other, he finally saw what his mother was talking about.

"Hmm…" Angela thought for a moment. "Well if they won't go to the mistletoe, bring the mistletoe to them."

Frankie's eyebrow quirked up. "How exactly are we going to do that?"

"Not we. You. Figure it out."

Frankie sighed. He finally got some time off and he was spending it being his mother's minion. This had better be worth it, he thought.

XXXXX

"And that's why I'm never wearing a chicken suit again." Jane said with conviction.

"Hey look, Jane. You an' Maura are under the mistletoe." Frankie pointed out, interrupting their conversation. It was tricky but he finally figured out how to pin it above them without them noticing. He should be knighted an honorary ninja or something for this.

"Mistletoe?" Jane looked up to where Frankie was pointing. She looked over at Maura and shrugged. It was no big deal, just a kiss, right?

They leaned in, eyes closed, and their lips met for a chaste kiss. Jane was shocked at the sensation of the doctor's lips on her own and inhaled sharply through her nose before pulling away. They looked at each other and immediately went back for a second one. This time it was not as chaste but still quick. When they pulled back this time they could see the fire in the other one's eyes. There was no controlling it anymore. They had to do it. They leaned in for a third time and stayed there for quite a while.

Everyone was staring at them, but they didn't seem to mind, or even notice, as their lips moved in tandem. Maura brought her hand up to Jane's face, stroking the flesh of her cheek as she deepened the kiss.

Frankie cleared his throat.

"Uh… so, yeah…" Jane said when they pulled away. She wasn't too sure what happened there but now everyone was staring at them and it was kind of awkward.

"Um… yes... I uh…" Maura didn't know what to say. She didn't really even care about the other people in the room. All she knew was that she was tingly all over and that she really wanted to do that again.

"Who wants dessert?" Angela asked, trying to rid the awkwardness away from this situation.

Frankie piped up. "I'll help you out with that, Ma."

"Yeah, uh… me too." Jane went into the kitchen to help bring out the cake her mother had bought at the general store earlier.

Soon the incident was forgotten. Or, at least, not talked about. They ate their cake while discussing their plans for the next few days. There were places to ski, hike or just enjoy the scenery. They decided to think about it and not really plan anything until after Christmas.

Maura yawned in a lull in the conversation and they decided to head to bed, since it had been such a long day.

XXXXX

"So…uh… goodnight Jane." Maura said awkwardly as she got into their bed.

"Yeah…goodnight." Jane said before she went into the bathroom. Ever since their kiss she's felt this tension between them and she wasn't sure what to do about it.

After she finished in there she went to the bed, hesitating to get in. She thought about just sleeping on the couch but, considering the temperature, she decided it was best to stay warm.

She settled in, trying to not shift too much lest she wake the sleeping M.E. beside her. It took her an hour to doze off due to the distraction of the warm body next to hers.

Sunlight streamed in. Maura blinked her eyes open and sat up. She stopped mid-stretch as she noticed that Jane was still asleep. She looked down and admired her best friend.

Jane shifted and grabbed for her pillow, bringing it closer to her face, causing Maura to look away and chastise herself for staring. She got out of bed and went into the bathroom, deciding it best, for the time being, to keep her distance from the detective.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. This fic kind of got away from me and turned out to be longer than I thought it would be. I hope you all enjoy it nonetheless.

XXXXX

"Good morning, Maura." Angela greeted, sipping some coffee, as she saw the M.E. enter the room.

"Good morning, Mrs. Rizzoli."

"How many times do I have to tell you, it's Angela."

"Sorry Angela." Maura said, grabbing a mug of her own and filling it up with coffee before taking a seat across from her.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Actually, I did." Maura was rather surprised at this considering the situation. Though she supposed she was just too tired to really think about it last night anyway.

"That's good."

They continued their liquid breakfast in silence and soon the rest of the Rizzoli clan came in, heading straight for the coffee.

"Here, Maura, this is for you." Jane said after she had finished her coffee and picked up a gift from under the picture of a tree that Angela had made last night.

"Oh, Jane, you shouldn't have." She carefully unwrapped it, revealing a book.

"What is it?" Angela asked.

"_Harvest _by Tess Gerritsen." She held up the book.

"Yeah, it's supposed to be a really good medical thriller. I thought you might like it."

"Thank you Jane." She hugged the detective and remembered instantly why she wanted to keep her distance.

Gifts were exchanged and soon the floor was littered with wrapping paper.

Angela got a new cheese grater, the one she's been eyeing for weeks, from Frank, a box of chocolates from Frankie and a half-year of maid services from Jane.

Frankie got a new baseball glove from Jane and a watch from both of his parents.

Frank got a new wrench set, a better edition than the one he has already, from Frankie, a movie that he's been wanting to see for a while from Angela, and a bottle of special hot sauce that he hasn't been able to find from Jane.

Jane got a baseball signed from Curt Schilling, a former Red Sox pitcher, from Frankie, and a nice new dress from her parents, well really only from Angela.

Maura got, to her surprise, a bottle of Napa Valley Merlot from the other three Rizzoli's.

After a round of thanks and hugs they cleaned up the mess.

Maura and Jane reached for the same balled up wad of paper and their hands touched. Maura recoiled violently and started to look for other pieces. Jane picked up the piece and added it to the pile in her arms and looked curiously at Maura. That was an overreaction no matter how you looked at it.

"Maura." Jane said softly.

Said girl ignored her as she picked up the last piece of trash.

"Maura." She put her hand on her shoulder as she said her name a bit more firmly.

"What, Jane? Can't you take a hint!" She shrugged her shoulder back forcefully as she shot a glare at the detective.

Jane shrunk back. Her heart sunk and she felt an overwhelming feeling of grief. What did she do wrong? That was her first worry. Why was Maura acting like this? She thought back to the start of Maura's strange behavior and couldn't think of anything that she could have done to upset her. Did she say something? Or maybe she refused the invitation to yoga one too many times.

While Jane was contemplating this Angela saw the exchange. Her brows furrowed in worry and confusion. Perhaps she saw things incorrectly. But she was so sure that they were meant for each other she completely stopped trying to set Jane up with anyone else. She really didn't want to believe it. Maybe she was seeing things wrong now. Maybe Maura was just upset with Jane for some other reason. Some kind of typical marital-without-being-married-yet spat.

Jane stepped outside in the cool brisk air to try and get away from the chaos that the cabin seemed to be filled with. It wasn't loud but there was this uncomfortable tension that laced every interaction she's been a part of today.

She brushed off the snow covered seat and sat down. She put her head in her hands and pondered this situation. Maura didn't seem this bad before they got there. She was sure that if whatever was wrong now was wrong before then Maura would have never come up here with them. A thought struck her. The tension wasn't there until after that kiss. Damn Frankie. If it wasn't for him they wouldn't be going through this. That must have been it. Maura was just feeling really weird about that kiss. It's too bad, she mused, that kiss was rather pleasant.

She closed her eyes and thought back to last night. Her body tingled with those same emotions as she remembered. Enjoyable feelings turned sour when she remembered the events of this morning. She breathed in deeply and sighed. What was she going to do?

XXXXX

Maura sat on the deck on the other side of the building from where Jane was. She really regretted snapping at Jane earlier. She really wasn't sure what got into her. She normally is never like that no matter how much someone got on her nerves. Though Jane wasn't really on her nerves, she was just frustrated and tired of all this.

She had no clue of what to do. Normally it did not take her too long to solve a problem, even if it did involve people. But this was a more delicate matter. If she messed this up she could lose her most treasured friendship. She knew she wanted more in her relationship with the detective but she was too afraid to push it. It was just driving her mad. It was very difficult to even be in the same room as Jane without wanting to just _do _something. She wasn't completely sure what that something would be but she knew it needed to happen.

Her mind thought back to last night, under the mistletoe. The thing that surprised her the most was the fact that she finally understood what people meant when they said there were fireworks when they kissed. Nothing else came close to that. Not even with Garrett.

She sighed and slumped down on the snow covered table. What was she going to do about this? This is why she wanted this time to herself, so she could think this through without any distractions.

XXXXX

"Frankie, Frankie, listen to me, do you know if there's anything going on with those two?" Angela asked. Frankie had just walked back in after going to the bathroom and Frank was sitting next to Angela on the sofa.

"Jane an' Maura? No. I think they got into some kinda argument, though. Dunno what it's about."

"Hmm…" Angela wasn't too sure what to think about this. She was worried her plan wasn't going to work. So far it's been good, with that kiss last night, but nothing has really happened since then. At least nothing she knew. She looked up at Frankie with a small grin.

Oh no, he knew that look. "No, Ma." He had fear in his voice. He really didn't want to be looped into whatever it was she wanted him to do.

"It's no big deal! All you'd do is spy on them."

"Spy? No! At least with the mistletoe it was helping them get together! This won't do anything!"

"Whadda mean it won't do anything? It'll let me know what's going on so that I can plan from there."

Frankie sighed. "I just think we should leave it for a bit. It might fix itself."

"I agree with Frankie, Ange." Frank said. "I understand why you're doing this, and I want the two of them to be happy too, but sometimes you need to know when to back away and let things happen."

"Fine." Angela sulked. "We'll try your way." She leaned towards Frankie and pointed a finger at him. "But if it doesn't work, you'll have to try my way…again."

"Whatever, Ma." Frankie waved her off and got up. He went outside to see Jane looking out towards the snow covered hills. "Oh, sorry, I didn't know anyone else was out here." He felt like he was interrupting some of Jane's "me" time. That's what he was looking for, actually. Well really he wanted some "get away from Ma" time.

"Nah, it's okay Frankie, you can stay. I'm just thinking."

"Wanna tell me what about?"

"She sent you out here, didn't she?"

"No!" He held up his hands in defense. "I'm out here to get away from her."

"Oh." It was understandable, but she still couldn't shake the suspicion that her mother was plotting something.

"She wanted me to spy on you two."

"What?"

"I said no! Honest!"

"God, sometimes I think that woman is from another planet." Jane shook her head.

"Tell me about it." Frankie agreed wholeheartedly. He brushed the snow off the other seat and sat down. "Everything okay with you an' Maura?" He wasn't doing his mother's dirty work, he was honestly curious, and a little worried.

"I don't know. She just totally snapped at me! I don't know what I did."

"Maybe she just needs to be left alone?" Frankie offered.

"Maybe. I dunno." Jane sighed in frustration. She shook her head to rid herself of these thoughts and turned to her brother. "Ma say what's for lunch yet?"

He shook his head. "No. We can go see. "He stood up and looked at her. "I'm not goin' back in there without you."

"I don't blame you." She smiled, following him inside.

The first thing Jane saw when she entered the house was that Maura was doing the same, from the front deck. Their eyes locked and Jane saw a hint of something – was it regret? – cross her features.

Maura looked away first and kept her head down while she made her way to the living room, standing as far away from Jane as possible.

"So, Ma, I'm starving!" Frankie broke the silence in the room, putting a hand on his stomach for effect.

"Good!" Angela said, standing up. "Frankie and I were just talking about it and we think we should try that diner that's inside the general store."

Everyone nodded, thinking it was a good idea. It wasn't too far and, from what they saw yesterday, it could be tasty.

Soon they were all piled in the car and on their way to the destination. Before they got in, however, Maura asked Frankie to switch with Jane, so he would be in the middle. Regrettably, he agreed, getting a glare from his sister in return.

After ordering and receiving their food, they sat down at one of the picnic tables that were in the middle of the room and dug into their sandwiches.

Jane glanced over at Maura, who was at the other end of the table, separated from her by Frankie.

Frankie looked up from his cheese steak sandwich at Jane and saw her glancing just past him. Jane looked over at him when she saw his head move and he gave her a sympathetic look. He really didn't know what was going on with Maura. And, despite the fact that his mother came up with it, he kind of wanted to spy on her to find out. But he decided not to and let the chips fall where they may. He just hoped they would fall soon.

It wasn't long until they finished their meal. They all thought it was a good idea to explore the nearby town of Killington.

The first thing they did was head to the shops, to the annoyance of Jane and the Rizzoli men. There were some interesting ones that entertained them, though, and it turned out to be a pretty good way to spend a nice chunk of the day.

Well, at least to some of them.

Jane spent the whole time trying to get close enough to Maura to talk but, whenever she got within two feet of the M.E. she found a way to widen the distance between them. After a while Jane was getting frustrated and actually considered going to her mother for advice on this. Thankfully, she chose not to.

After stepping out of another antique store Angela spoke up. "Anyone up for some dinner?"

No one argued against the idea and so they headed off to a nearby restaurant, The Wobbly Barn Steakhouse.

Surprisingly, the structure of The Wobbly Barn seemed rather sturdy, Maura pointed out. Jane couldn't help a smile from forming when she said this. Some things never change.

Before they entered the restaurant, Jane grabbed Maura's arm. "Look, whatever happened I'm sorry."

Maura stopped trying to break out of Jane's grasp when she heard the hurt in her friend's voice."Why are you sorry, I'm the one who snapped at you."

"Well there musta been a reason. I'm sorry for whatever brought you to do that."

"Oh, Jane… It's nothing you did." She said sincerely. She looked down, ashamed that she had let this get out of hand. She was hurting Jane just so she could not be suffocated by the feelings for the detective. It was completely selfish and she regretted it even further. "I'm sorry, Jane. I… I was being selfish. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Jane sighed. "Maura… I – "

"You two gonna join us?" Frankie interrupted, popping his head out of the restaurant.

They nodded and followed him back in, things seemingly back to normal.

They were seated quickly and, when they got to the table, Jane pulled the chair out for Maura before the waiter could. She was trying to show her that things were okay between them, at least on her side. She then sat next to Maura and smiled at her. They still had things to talk about, obviously, but it was nice not having Maura glare at her like she had been doing all day.

Maura smiled at Jane. It was times like this that made her wish they were more than friends. She would give anything to have the other Rizzoli's gone and have this just be a date. But, she thought solemnly, such a thing would never happen.

The waiter came quickly and asked for their orders. Everyone got a steak, except for Maura, who ordered lobster, and beer, except for Maura who opted for water.

Dinner was filled with laughs and good food. Stories were shared of past Rizzoli Christmases and Maura even shared a story about her childhood around this time of year. It wasn't long until they could not eat anymore or, in Frankie's case, the plate being empty.

Maura decided to pay the bill for all of them, an extension of her Christmas gift, and they headed outside. Due to the wandering around of the day the car was far from where they were. Jane and Maura spent the half-hour it took to get to the car behind the other three so they could continue their talk in peace.

"Yeah I guess the kiss kind of did freak me out a bit." Maura confessed to Jane's questioning. "I'm sorry it all became kind of… overwhelming."

"That's okay, Maura." Jane said, wrapping her arm around the doctor and rubbing her shoulder as a sign of comfort. "It was just a kiss. A silly thing that happens sometimes at Christmas. You have no idea how many people I've kissed that I didn't want to because of that stupid mistletoe rule." She laughed and then launched into a story of some holiday party at the precinct where she had to kiss the person everyone hated.

Maura smiled. Jane was way off in her assumptions. The problem was that Maura _did _want to kiss Jane last night. She was trying to keep herself from doing it now. But she wasn't going to tell her that, she just tried to push that feeling away as Jane made a disgusted face to emphasize a part of her story.

Soon they got to the car and Maura took the wheel, as she was the only one who didn't have alcohol, though the others only had one drink. The drive was short and silent and before long they were walking into the cabin, shivering from the cold.

Angela started a fire and then sat on the couch. Frank sat down next to her and Frankie took the chair right next to them. Jane sat on the chair across from them, right next to the fire.

Because this was a cabin for four, there were only four spots to sit in the living room. Before she could even think to bring a chair over from the dining room Jane patted the space next to her.

"You could sit here!" Jane offered. "I won't bite!" She knew she might be pushing it a bit but she just wanted to test the waters. Before the whole mistletoe fiasco this would be a normal thing for the two of them to do.

Maura hesitated before taking her up on the offer. She slowly lowered herself next to the detective, shifting her weight until they were both comfortable. It was a bit tight but, with one of Maura's legs slightly on top of Jane's, it was actually quite comfortable.

Angela couldn't stop an eyebrow from quirking up at this. Not three hours ago it seemed like Maura was ready to kill Jane with the daggers from her eyes. And now this? Now she was dying to know what happened.

"So? What do ya think? Skiing tomorrow?" Frankie asked. He was dying to get out on the slopes. He hadn't been able to do so in a while.

"That sounds like an excellent idea!" Maura agreed. "I just bought this new ski suit that helps decrease wind resistance and still retain heat."

Jane's face showed her amusement. "Of course you did, Maur." She patted Maura's leg and kept her hand there.

Maura couldn't even respond to that. She just looked down at the hand and tried to control her urges.

"Yeah, for once you have a good idea, Frankie." Jane teased.

"Har har." Frankie shot back.

"Jane, be nice to your brother." Angela admonished.

"Ma, I was just – "

"Don't you argue with me!" Angela said. Frankie was laughing at Jane, who just rolled her eyes as the topic was shifted back to skiing. A few stories were told about the topic before they ventured into other winter related stories.

Conversations died down as the frequency of yawns increased. They got up wordlessly, all knowing it was time for sleep.

They bid each other goodnight and headed to their respective bedrooms.

"Night, Maura." Jane said from her side of the bed after she got out of the bathroom. Maura had been keeping her distance from her all day until they made up a few hours ago and she didn't really blame her for it. There was definitely something there, a tension between them that she wished would go away. There was no doubt in her mind that it was caused by that kiss – even before Maura confirmed it as being so.

"Good night, Jane."

Hours passed and Jane was still awake. All she could think about was the woman sleeping next to her. Eventually it got too much for her. She turned over and faced her best friend. "Maura?" She whispers to no response. Jane tries to poke at the M.E.'s shoulder while saying her name a little louder and Maura stirred slightly. Jane rolled her eyes and grasped her shoulders, shaking them while her voice was at a whisper-yell. "Maura!"

Maura opened her eyes slowly. "Jane? What is it?"

"I, uh… couldn't sleep."

"I'm sorry. You could try warm milk and honey. That might help."

"No… I … I mean…" Jane's voice wavered off and she was silent. After a while Maura thought she finally got to sleep until Jane finished her thought. "I was… thinking… about… that kiss." Her voice revealed insecurity and nervousness.

Maura's heart rate picked up to a pace she was sure wasn't safe. If she thought her heart was beating quickly before just sharing a bed with Jane then she was definitely surprised at its rapid pace following Jane's statement.

"What about it?" Maura asked, her voice as small as Jane's, if that was even possible.

"It was… nice." Jane was scared out of her mind. What if Maura thought the opposite? What if she thought it was the most disgusting thing she'd ever done? What if she thought she was disgusting because she liked it? What if –

"It was." Maura said, her voice shaky, matching her nerves.

That was about all Jane could say. Her face was so hot she was sure it couldn't possibly be winter. She just didn't know what to do next. If there even was anything to do next.

Maura waited for Jane to say or do something else. She wasn't sure how much time had passed, probably a good fifteen minutes, when Jane turned her body towards her.

"M…Maura?" Jane's voice gave away worry but her eyes shone with a fire that burned with the love for the woman in front of her.

"Jane?"

"Maura, I…" She looked away, not really sure of what she's trying to say.

Maura placed a hand on Jane's shoulder to try and comfort her.

That was all it took to break through the restraint Jane had placed on herself.

She smashed her lips against Maura's, snaking an arm around her waist. She pressed herself into the other girl and kissed her with passion as the sexual tension that had been so obvious to everyone in the cabin was finally dealt with. Legs were crossed over legs and hands were tangled in hair as their lips and tongues moved together in a warm fantastic dance. They couldn't get enough of each other and kissed for ages, becoming familiar with the other's mouths, until Maura stopped first, pulling back for air.

"Oh, god Jane, I –"

"I know." Jane said, pressing her lips to the M.E.'s tender neck before moving back up and taking Maura's bottom lip between her own, sucking on the delicate flesh.

Maura moaned at the sensation and pushed Jane's shoulder to get her off of her.

Jane immediately stopped and looked at the doctor, wondering what was wrong, when Maura swung her leg over Jane's body and straddled her at the waist.

Maura grinned flirtatiously at the woman beneath her before sliding down, her hands coming to either side of Jane's head, and kissing her with abandon. Their chests were pressed firmly against one another stirring up intense emotions in the both of them, even more so with every movement they made.

After a few minutes of this, Jane grasped Maura's waist and flipped them, so that she was completely on top of the other girl. She moved down, kissing the soft skin of Maura's neck multiple times, making her way up to the M.E.'s ear. "Maura," she whispered, her hot breath tickling Maura's earlobe, "I love you."

Maura pushed Jane back, for real this time. "What?" She asked, still trying to catch her breath.

"I love you." Jane said a bit more firmly, gazing into Maura's eyes.

"You… you can't mean that." Maura pushed the blanket off of her and moved her legs out of the bed, shivering at the cold floor against her feet.

"What do you mean?" Jane asked, confused at the sudden turn of events.

Maura stood up.

"Maura!" Jane grabbed the M.E.'s arm and stopped her. "I love you!" She said it again, hoping that Maura felt the same way and that she was just joking around. She wasn't thinking straight enough to remember that Maura very rarely jokes around, especially not about something like this.

Maura pulled her arm out of Jane's grasp and headed for the door. "I think I'll sleep on the couch."

Jane just sat up in bed and watched as her best friend walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

She couldn't stop the tears from coming, nor could she stop them once they came. She just sat in bed and cried until she was out of tears. She wanted to fix it or take it back. She didn't want to lose her. She _couldn't _lose her.

XXXXX

Maura grabbed a spare blanket out of the hall closet before heading to the living room. Tears were flowing freely down her cheeks and she didn't even reach up to wipe them away. She wasn't sure why she did that. Why she pushed Jane away. What was wrong with her? She wanted to go back and apologize and tell Jane that she loved her too. She was just afraid that Jane would take it back, that she wasn't serious about it. It seemed just too good to be true. She was lost in her thoughts for a good while until a noise startled her. She sat up.

"Maura?" Frankie asked from the kitchen. "Is that you?"

Maura nodded. "Yes." She sniffled and wiped away the tears while willing away the new ones. "What are you doing here?"

He held up a bowl. "Midnight snack. Want some?"

"No thank you."

"Really? Cuz a little birdie told me that Lucky Charms are your favorite." He shook the box containing the marshmallow-y mixture.

Maura smiled and got up. She needed a distraction, though she wasn't sure how well it would work. As soon as she stepped into the light of the kitchen she knew it wouldn't as she saw Frankie's face fall.

"Have you been crying?" He asked gently.

Maura nodded slowly as new tears slid down her face. Frankie put down the bowl he had gotten for Maura before wrapping her in a hug. She broke down completely and soon Frankie's shoulder was wet with tears. After a minute or two she calmed herself down and pulled away. "Sorry."

"Don't be." Frankie said adamantly. "No one cries like that without a reason. What's wrong?"

Maura sighed. "Jane."

"What'd she do?" He knew from experience that Jane could be a little… insensitive… at times.

"She didn't… I was…. I was being stupid. I was scared and I just pushed her away."

The look on Frankie's face indicated that he didn't follow.

"We kissed."

"Yeah, I know. I set up the mistletoe."

"No," she shook her head, "Just now. Again. And again. And again."

His eyes widened. "Really?"

Maura nodded. "But then she told me she loved me and I just panicked. I didn't know what to do." She put her hand on her forehead and sighed. "She must hate me now. I don't know what I'm going to do."

"Come 'ere." Frankie hugged her once again. He rubbed her back to try and comfort her.

Jane walked in and saw their embrace. "Oh, I see what the problem was now. I'm obviously not the Rizzoli you're in love with." She said with a biting tone.

They pulled back. "No, Jane, It's not what it looks like!" Frankie yelled.

"Oh yeah Frankie? Then tell me what it is!"

"No… She… I… We…"

"That's what I thought." Jane stormed back to her room.

Maura ran after her. "Jane!" She knocked on the door. "Jane, please!"

"Go away! Why don't you go spend time with your _boyfriend_!" She yelled back in a scathing tone.

Maura flinched back and slunk away. She went back into the living room and Frankie walked over to her, readying another hug. She pushed past him. "I think I'm just going to sleep now." She said, voice breaking under the strain of her emotions.

"Alright." Frankie didn't push it. "Good night." He said as he climbed the stairs. He hoped this gets fixed, and soon. He hated seeing the two of them like this.

XXXXX

Maura woke up from her fitful sleep to a thud. Or more like a bang. A loud bang. She sat up and looked around, finding nothing out of the ordinary. It didn't seem like something fell. She was scanning the room when she did a double take of the clock. 9 AM? But it was dark. She looked to the windows, curtains open, and saw the problem. They were snowed in. She couldn't believe it.

"What was that sound?" Frankie asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he descended the stairs.

"I think we're snowed in. At least down here. Can you see the sun up there?" Maura was worried. Not so much about being trapped as much as being trapped with Jane and nowhere to keep their distance that Jane so obviously wanted.

"The sun? What time is it?" He looked at the clock and his eyes snapped all the way open. "I just assumed it was early. It's completely dark up there."

Maura sighed. This was just _great_. "What do we do now?"

Frankie shrugged. "Get someone to rescue us?" He grabbed his cell phone off a nearby table and checked it. "Oh, yeah, I forgot. No service."

Maura picked up the landline that came with the cabin. "This is out too." She said after pressing a few buttons to no avail.

"Great."

"What's all that racket?" Frank asked coming down the stairs.

"We're snowed in, Pop." Frankie answered.

"You're kidding me."

"Nope, see." He pointed to the window. Snow was pressing up against the glass, piled up so high that they couldn't see the top of it, not down there. They decided to go upstairs. They opened the curtains in the master bedroom and the snow was piled up there as well, only a sliver of light could be seen at the top.

"What's going on?" Angela asked, coming out of the bathroom.

"We're snowed in." Frank answered her.

Angela didn't say anything, she just joined the three at the window and looked at the pile of snow.

Downstairs Jane came out of her room. Her eyes were still puffy from crying and she was exhausted. She was confused at the darkness of the house. She looked at the clock when she woke up and it wasn't that early. Maybe it was cloudy, she figured, as she made her way to the window to look up at the sky. She found this to be impossible as the sky was blocked by the massive amount of snow. "What the crap?"

"Jane!" Frankie came down the stairs. "We're snowed in."

"Really Sherlock?" Jane said bitingly. She didn't forget about what happened last night. Not at all. How could she? That was the most dramatic and most painful shift of emotions that has ever happened to her. From the pure ecstasy she felt having Maura in her arms to the crushing agony she felt when she saw Maura in Frankie's.

"I was just –"

"Don't talk to me." She glared at him before going into the kitchen to get some greatly needed coffee.

Frankie sighed. He really wished he wasn't on Jane's bad side, especially since he really didn't do anything but comfort Maura. He needed to let Jane know that she saw things wrong but before he could Jane went back into her room and closed the door.

Maura, Frank and Angela headed down the stairs. Maura immediately spotted the pained look on Frankie's face and went over there as the Rizzoli parents went into the kitchen for coffee.

"What happened?" She asked, putting her hand on his shoulder for comfort.

"What do you think? Jane came in here. She hates me and she doesn't even know what happened."

She rubbed his shoulder. "I'm going to try to talk to her but she probably won't listen to me." Maura felt as bad as he did, if not worse. If Jane wouldn't listen to them, this situation was hopeless.

"Good luck." He said sarcastically. He really didn't think it was going to work. Not so soon, anyway.

She nodded and went to the bedroom and knocked several times but her efforts were ignored. "Jane! Don't make me talk to you through a door!" She sighed in frustration and stood there for a moment, hoping Jane would open the door. When she realized it wasn't working she just went into the kitchen to get herself some coffee. Maybe she'd be able to come up with something after she's had a cup or two.

After a few minutes Jane came back in to fill up her mug. After glaring at Maura who tried to speak to her, she went back into her room. Maura followed her, trying again, to no avail, to speak to the distraught detective.

"I wish I knew what was going on with them." Angela said, sighing sadly. It seemed things were fine last night but now it was worse than before. Only Jane was now the one that was upset with Maura.

"I think I know." Frankie spoke up. "I was there last night. Though I don't know the whole story."

"Well come on! Tell me!" Angela was eager to hear this.

Frankie took her through it all, from the moment he stepped into the kitchen to when he left, filling his mother in with everything that was said and done last night. He sat back in his chair when he finished.

Angela sighed. "Wow… I'm not sure what to do about this." There wasn't really anything she could do. It was all up to Maura to set things straight.

Maura was still trying to get Jane to talk to her. She's knocked on the door many times already to no answer. She sighed and sat down. "Jane, please! Please don't do this! Open the door so we can talk." She was met with silence. "You saw wrong, Jane. I am not with Frankie."

Jane just sat there on the bed. She could hear Maura. She could hear the pain in her voice but she just wanted to shut it all out.

Maura gave up on talking but she stayed there, leaning against the door. Tears streamed down her face.

XXXXX

Angela went into the hallway that led to Jane's room and saw Maura sitting against the door. Her face showed a painful sadness that tugged at her heart. She felt bad for the girl. She walked over to her. "Come on, dear." Angela said, squatting down in front of the M.E. "Lunch is ready." She put a hand on her shoulder and rubbed it in comfort before standing up, holding out a hand for Maura. "Why don't you go take a seat, I'll get Jane out of there."

Maura nodded and left. Angela turned towards the door.

"Janie! I don't know what happened but you better stop sulking and come get your lunch!" She banged on the door.

Jane opened the door and walked past her without a word. She sat down at the table and ignored the others sitting there. She was seething with painful hate directed towards the man sitting beside her and the woman sitting across from her. They could have told her, she thought. Or at least Maura could have not _kissed_ her if she was with someone else. She never thought Maura was the type; guess she was wrong about a lot of things lately.

Angela served leftover soup that she heated up on the stove and then sat down at the table. Frank opted to sit a few feet away in the living room, as they lacked a chair.

They ate in uncomfortable silence, the only sounds to be made were of slurping and other various eating noises.

"Jane it's your turn to do the dishes." Angela said gently when she saw that they were all finished.

Jane nodded and got up, gathering the dishes from the table and heading into the kitchen.

"Maura," Angela said, nodding towards the kitchen, "why don't you go help? I think it might help if you talk to her."

Maura looked worried but nodded anyway, leaving the table to enter the war zone.

Frank took Jane's seat and leaned towards Angela. "I hope you know what you're doing." He said.

"You wash, I'll dry?" Maura said as she stepped into the kitchen.

"I take it my mother sent you."

"Yes."

"Fine." Jane complied. She handed Maura a dish towel and the first bowl to be dried.

Jane washed the next one in silence and handed it to Maura, who was struggling to come up with something to say. She rehearsed a few different things in her head. She knew she needed something short and to the point.

"Jane, listen." She said as Jane handed her another bowl. "You are the one that I love, no one else, not ever. You've got to believe me." She was on the verge of tears. She wished she could go back in time and say this after Jane's confession of love. All she could do now was hope that Jane would take her back.

After a few moments of silence Jane spoke up. "Well, you haven't passed out yet so that must mean you're telling the truth. So, I believe you." She smiled at the M.E. and put down the bowl she was halfway done with cleaning.

Maura looked up into Jane's eyes and grinned. "I love you."

"I know, you just said that." Jane smiled. She placed her hands on Maura's hips and moved her closer before bringing her hand up to push a stray hair behind the other girl's ear.

"Well I'll say it again. I love you." She punctuated this with a kiss on Jane's lips. "I love you." She said again, kissing Jane once again. "I lo-"

"I get it!" Jane laughed, grabbing the sides of Maura's face and pulling her in. They kissed and Jane pinned Maura against the counter. Maura laughed into the kiss and pulled away.

Jane looked into Maura's eyes and saw the love there. She was stupid to think that she would ever want to hurt her. I guess that means she owes her brother an apology as well.

Maura sighed deeply.

"What?" Jane was worried. Was something _else _gonna happen? She swore that she wouldn't let anything else get between them.

"We should finish these dishes." She nodded towards the sink.

"I guess." Jane over exaggerated irritation at the dishes.

Maura smiled before reaching over and scooped some of the bubbles on her finger and tapping Jane on the nose, transferring the white foam there.

Jane's eyebrows went up and she smiled. "So that's how it's gonna be, is it?" She took a handful and reached over towards Maura, trying to exact her revenge.

Maura held her by the wrist, shrinking away from the bubbles. They were both laughing, a big change from just a few minutes earlier.

"Girls! That doesn't sound like you're doing dishes!"Angela yelled from the dining room. They had all been watching the scene but she didn't want them to get too out of hand. After all, they had dishes to wash.

Jane just rolled her eyes and stood in front of the sink yet again. Maura soon followed, bumping her shoulder into Jane's playfully. They finished the dishes quickly and, after putting them away, they went back into the dining room. Jane took a seat where Maura was earlier and Maura sat on Jane's lap. Jane wrapped her arms around the M.E.'s waist and placed her head on Maura's shoulder after kissing it.

"So…?" Angela said in a questioning tone, smiling at the two.

Jane looked at her. "What?" She thought she really didn't have anything to explain. It was pretty obvious.

"Have anything you want to tell us?" She prodded.

Jane's eyebrow shot up at the question. She decided to just show them instead. She brought Maura down and kissed her.

"What's there to tell? I'm in love with this woman and I want to spend the rest of my life with her."

"Aww Jane… that's so sweet." Maura said, hand on her chest. She kissed the top of her love's head. "I love you too."

"Well…" Angela started looking at the others. "I think I speak for everyone here when I say… _finally_!"

"Thanks Ma." Jane said. She didn't think anything could rid herself of this beyond good mood. Not even being trapped in this cabin for who knows how long. "And sorry Frankie," she said looking over at her brother, "I shouldn't have doubted you. I hope you can forgive me."

"Of course, Jane. I'm just happy it all worked out."

A loud bang upstairs broke them from their conversation. Frankie held out his arm, telling them to stay put while he went to check it out.

"I'll go with you, Frankie." Jane said, getting out of the chair from underneath Maura, placing said woman on the chair and kissing her gently. She followed her brother up the stairs.

They went into the master bedroom and saw that the snow level had decreased dramatically. They also saw a crew of people shoveling it away from the building. One of the workers saw them and walked up to the glass. "Is everyone okay in there?" He yelled.

They nodded.

"Good! It'll be a few more hours before we can clear away the rest of the snow so sit tight and we'll get you outta there soon!"

"Thanks!" Frankie yelled.

They made their way back downstairs. "They're digging us outta here. It'll be a while though." Frankie said, taking his seat again.

"Well, I don't know about you but I am done with this snow." Angela said. "I think we should go home today."

Frank nodded his head. He wanted to get back to work. He knew there had to be a couple sinks that needed to be repaired or something somewhere in Boston by now.

Frankie wanted to stay but, seeing as they only had one car, he had to honor his mother's request.

Maura got up to allow Jane to sit back down before taking her place on her lap and then leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Don't worry," she started, her hot breath on Jane's ear. "We have this place until the 23rd, I'm sure we can make some use of it. And we'll have it all to ourselves." She pulled away and smiled flirtatiously at the detective, who soon mirrored the look, desire burning in her eyes.

The next few hours consisted of various conversations between them and of Jane and Maura trying to curb their want to kiss, among other things, while they were waiting to get out of there.

Eventually there was a knock on the door.

"Hey! Y'all okay?" The same worker from before asked.

"We're just fine! We weren't trapped here too long." Frank answered.

"That's good. Seems there was a great amount of snowfall last night and then a small avalanche this morning. I'm glad everyone's okay."

"Thanks, really!" Angela said.

The man went back outside to help clear the other sides of the house. They gathered their things and then left the cabin, making a stop off at the office.

"Sorry 'bout that avalanche." He said sincerely. "Haven't gotten one of those in a while." He took the key given to him by Angela. "Leaving so soon? You still have a few weeks left in your stay."

"Oh, we'll be back." Maura said, squeezing Jane's hand.

"Alright! I'll just hold onta this for you!" He smiled at them. "I hope you had a good time while you were here at least."

"We did, thanks." Frankie answered.

They left the office and traveled the now only four hour drive back to Boston. Halfway there Maura fell asleep, leaning her head against Jane's shoulder and holding onto her, arms wrapped around the detective's waist. Jane just smiled, rubbed Maura's arm soothingly and looked out the window, thinking of all the things they could do once they returned to the cabin.


End file.
